Children's book by Michael O. Tunnell and George W. Chilcoat based on a class diary kept by a 3rd grade teacher at
Topaz
.

Synopsis

After a short introduction that provides background on the mass removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans, the diary begins on March 8, 1943 and ends on August 12, 1943, the last day of summer school. The various entries touch on many aspects of life in the concentration camps, ranging from living conditions, recreation, loyalty and military service, and even the killing of
Issei
inmate
James Hatsuki Wakasa
and its aftermath. Also noted is the infamous "
loyalty questionnaire
," which comes to affect the class directly when Miss Yamauchi leaves camp at the end of the school year to accompany her family to
Tule Lake
. On a happier note, the class also follows Miss Yamauchi's engagement and marriage during the term, even voting to keep calling her "Miss Yamauchi" rather than "Mrs. Hori." An afterword covers the closing of Topaz, along with the
redress movement
many years later. In addition to the images of the diary pages, the book is illustrated with general photographs of Topaz, as well as images of Miss Yamauchi and the class itself.

Additional Information

A professor of children's literature at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, and author of three prior children's books, Tunnell came across the class diary of Lillian "Anne" Yamauchi Hori at the Utah State Historical Society. The diary covered the spring and summer sessions of 1943 and captured the observations of the children as transcribed by their teacher, Miss Yamauchi. Each day's entry was illustrated by a member of the class. Tunnell and co-author Chilcoat, also a BYU professor, selected twenty of the daily entries, reproducing them in the book and adding their own annotations and explanations of the things mentioned by the children. They also tracked down Saburo Hori, the teacher's widower (she had passed away in 1993) and several of the children in the class who provided additional information.

Upon the book's publication, several other students contacted the authors, which led to a 1996 reunion of the class held in Berkeley that saw 15 out of the 23 students attend.

The book is well researched and has only a few minor errors. Among them: implying that Japanese Americans from all of Washington and Oregon were forcibly removed (those in the eastern halves of those states were spared) and not noting the forced removal of Japanese Americans from southern Arizona (page 7); claiming bank accounts for all Japanese Americans had been frozen (only those of the Issei were frozen) (42); overestimating the number of Japanese American women who served in the
Women's Army Corps
(45); misidentifying the
Civil Liberties Act of 1988
(69); and claiming that $100 million was paid out under the auspices of the
Evacuation Claims Act
(the total was closer to $38 million) (69).

Learn more in the Densho Encyclopedia, a free on-line resource covering the key concepts, people, events, and organizations that played a role in the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

Chronology

Point of View

Theme

Availability

Free On Web

Teacher Guide

Learn more in the Densho Encyclopedia, a free on-line resource covering the key concepts, people, events, and organizations that played a role in the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Useful Links

The Resource Guide to Media on the Japanese American Removal and Incarceration is a free project of Densho. Our mission is to preserve the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War II before their memories are extinguished. We offer these irreplaceable firsthand accounts, coupled with historical images and teacher resources, to explore principles of democracy, and promote equal justice for all.